Sunday, September 30, 2012

Martinborough Treasure Trove

We were enjoying the Spring sunshine today and joined a group of friends over the Rimutaka Hill at Martinborough. Everyone remembered to put their clocks forward one hour for the start of “Daylight Saving” so all of us arrived at our meeting point at the correct time. I’m a real fan of daylight saving, and just love the long summer evenings that it brings. Our hostess Anne took us around a corner or two from the Martinborough Square to check out this establishment. Billed as “The Shop that looks like a House”, it certainly was. Chock full of collectables, and vintage treasures, it was like stepping back in time.

Step this way to view the treasures inside

There were jars of interesting old buttons sitting on tables on the shady vine covered veranda. Lots of crafters like to collect old buttons, I know, and some have huge collections. I walked on by into the house to see what else was on offer. I love old linen, and spent some time looking through the pretty embroidered table clothes. As well as the linen, there were baskets of knitting wool and haberdashery. Such things as cards of domes, of hooks and eyes, and we even found a couple of darning mushrooms . You know the sort, all good housewives used to darn their husband's holey socks in days gone by. “You don’t need to buy anything”, one of our friends commented, “you are moving house and you’re trying to de-clutter, aren’t you?” That’s true, we have our house on the market and have been very busy over the last few weeks sorting out what we don’t need and taking all sorts of things to the op shop.

Lots of old linen on display

There was a huge variety of lovely items on display, pretty dishes, tea pots, and vintage clothing and hand bags. But I was very good, just looked, and didn’t buy a thing.

China and tea spoons

Martinborough was humming with people, all out enjoying the lovely weather. This town has quite a connection to the maternal side of my family. My mother was born here, and her mother and other early family members are buried in the oldest of the town’s two graveyards. I had hoped to re-acquaint myself with an old family photo hanging in the bar of the historic Martinborough Hotel. But the interior of hotel was being repainted and the photo of my great-grandfather standing outside his boot and shoe shop in the early days of Martinborough was not to be seen. All the old photos were safely stored away, I was told. I hope so, it would be a shame if they were disposed of.